Business owners and key personnel are invited to a free, two-hour Business Growth Seminar, Tuesday, May 20th at 5 pm in Sterck Kulik O'Neill's downtown San Francisco office.

This small group will discover the 4 ways to grow your business, learn to identify and monitor Key Performance Indicators, and explore a four-step process entrepreneurs can use to empower their teams to improve the numbers.

You will learn things you can start using in your own business the next day.

This popular seminar is free, but advanced registration is required. Sign-up now for one of the limited spots.

Larry Ellison saved $3 million on his property tax bill by appealing his property tax assessment (Chronicle story). If the value of your home has declined since you bought it, you, too, can ask your county's tax assessor to lower your tax bill.

If you bought your home at the height of the real estate market, say since 2003, it may be worth less now than you paid. That's bad news, but you only have to pay property taxes on its current value. To reduce your taxes, simply ask your assessor to revalue your property based on today's market.

You do not have to pay third parties to assess your property or file your appeal. You can do it yourself.

"Why should I buy from you?" "What makes your product better than your competitor's?"

These questions flip the ON switch to most salespeople's presentation-mode engine. Learn a more effective way to handle the most difficult prospect questions.

Whose fault is it that your children believe that money comes from a never-empty ATM machine?

Showing in age-appropriate ways how your family keeps its ATM stocked in challenging economic times will help your children now. They'll also do better with their personal finances when they are out their own.

Sterck Kulik O'Neill's partners Charles Sterck (on left) and Geoffrey Kulik last Tuesday drew the winning tickets in the 2008 Tax Filer Giveaway. The Grand Prize of an Amazon.com Kindle electronic book reader and $100 gift certificate was sent to the winner on Wednesday. The First Prize of a 8 GB Apple Nano iPod and three 2nd Prizes of 4 GB Apple Nano iPods have also been delivered to their new owners. Congratulations!

And, thank you to all Sterck Kulik O'Neill clients for allowing us to help you prepare your taxes. We appreciate your business.